Right Where We Are
by CatrinaSL
Summary: My fifth contribution to Stella Malodi's Silly Words for the Silly Soul(mate fic). Darcy glanced between Tony and a rather bashful looking Captain America, not sure she had a grasp on the situation. Did he want to dance... with her?
1. Right Where We Are

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything remotely related to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but I do think that doing research before shooting an episode of Agents of SHIELD wouldn't be a bad idea. There aren't any mountains north of Sterling Colorado, ABC. It's like a hilly prairie up there.  
I also don't own _Thinking Out Loud_ by Ed Sheeran, nor have I danced to it in ridiculously high heels.

 **Soulmark AU:** Everyone has a Soulmark, the first words that their Soulmate will say to them, tattooed on their body.

* * *

Darcy tugged at the hem of her dress.

She wished Jane were here, so that she could be her usual third wheel and stand behind Thor and Jane all night, people watching. There were plenty of people to see at this party: heroes, world famous scientists, and really _really_ attractive people. Darcy stood next to the bar, wondering if those were the prerequisites to make it into a party like this.

She looked down at her feet, which were (she felt) awkwardly perched in a pair of the highest heels she'd ever worn, and could not understand how she had come to be in that spot at that moment. Hero? No. Scientist? Yeah, right. ...Attractive? She didn't notice anyone looking at her, but... in this group, the possibility that she could be in the third column was more than a little flattering.

Still, with Jane on the other side of the world chasing wormholes, the only person she really knew at the party was Thor, and she couldn't follow him around all night. People would start to think she was _with him_ with him (and, embarrassingly, a few people already had). She knew Tony, but it wasn't like he had thrown the party just to hang out with her. And though she'd been introduced once to Bruce Banner during a tour of the labs, they weren't yet at the "sit next to one another awkwardly all night at a party" stage.

The bartender glanced her direction. She considered the bottom of her second mojito, and nodded for another, deciding that she would go join the group who were listening to Colonel Rhodes' tank story.

She was halfway up the stairs when she encountered Tony and a rather bashful looking Captain America.

"Dancing is mandatory at this party, Lewis," he commanded, and took the drink out of her hand as he shoved Steve at her.

"I don't need your _help_ , Tony," Steve blurted.

Darcy glanced between the two of them, not sure she had a grasp on the situation. Did _Captain America_ want to dance with _her_?

The idea made her blush. Maybe she _was_ in that third column?

Tony laughed. "I'm tired of watching you _gaze_ at her from across the room." He waved a hand. "Just dance."

He sauntered away, and Steve managed to look just as awkward as Darcy felt. She smiled at him to let him know he wasn't alone. He shrugged, smiled back, and held out a hand.

No one else was on the dance floor, but the DJ, on a cue from the host, started up a slow song. Steve put his hand around Darcy's waist, pulled her closer, and led her in a soft sway in time to the beat. As Ed Sheeran belted out sweet lyrics, a few other couples joined them, but Darcy still felt like the whole room was watching the two of them. A glance across the room showed her that Tony was, so she looked away.

Her partner still hadn't said anything. She wondered if he was too shy or if she was in a genuine _Pride and Prejudice_ situation and they'd end up talking about why they weren't talking.

She tried to stop focusing on the weirdness of her situation, and grasped at anything else to pay attention to. The song... wasn't helping. It was describing a much longer, more established relationship than the one she and Steve had. They hadn't ever actually been introduced. She knew who he was, of course, but as far as she knew, he didn't even know her name.

She wondered if he was listening to the words, too.

He squirmed a little, and she moved her hand from his arm up to his shoulder. They were closer now, but she didn't mind.

Time to say something.

"This is, uh, a little intense for a first dance, huh?"

He looked down at her.

"The song. It's kind of..." She glared across the room at Tony, who was now grinning. "...romantic?"

When she looked back, Steve was watching her as though he couldn't quite decide how to reply. When he didn't say anything, Darcy started to feel like she'd made a fool of herself.

The song was suggesting that she should put her head on his chest, so she followed instructions. His arm tightened around her, and he pulled her closer still. She could feel his heart beating.

"I don't know," he said quietly during a pause in the lyrics, "I think it's a perfect song to meet your Soulmate to."

Darcy drew back and stared at him in amazement. When she could speak, she said, "I... think you're right."

The music wound down, and Steve spun her. As he pulled her back into his loving arms, Darcy realized something.

"Oh no," she gasped. "We're going to have to _thank_ Tony for this, aren't we?"

* * *

 **Author's Note (February 12th, 2016):** Thanks for reading! Go read the rest in this awesome series, Silly Words for the Silly Soul(mark fic), on AO3! You can also check out other stories by me (complete with behind the scenes babbling) at my fic blog, iwillwriteyourfic DOT blogspot DOT com.


	2. The Matchmaker's Speech

Here's another **Disclaimer:** I do not own the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but I have enjoyed watching many-a first dance.

 _Here's another_ **Soulmark AU Reminder** in case you've forgotten since the last chapter that you just finished reading before clicking here **:** Everyone has a Soulmark, a tattoo of the first words their Soulmate will say to them.

* * *

Dinner was over, the speeches had been made, and cake had been consumed. The bride and her groom looked nervously at one another at the center of the dance floor and everyone's attention.

The music started. One chord, and a beat, and the lyrics would begin. They would be in their own world, just the two of them, no matter how many other people were watching, taking pictures, or shouting encouraging things at them ("Thanks, Buck, I think I know how to slow dance").

Steve smiled as Darcy wound her hands up behind his neck and laced her fingers together. This was it: their first dance together as husband and wife, appropriately chosen for its importance in bringing them together in the first place.

They had time for one sway.

And then the music stopped.

"Sorry, everyone, I must have missed the cue to give my speech."

Darcy rested her forehead on Steve's chest in frustration. Steve glared at the DJ, whose microphone had been appropriated by The Matchmaker. The DJ gave a shrug that Steve interpreted as, "what was I supposed to do? He's Tony Freaking Stark!"

"I need to get this said before you dance, so just hang on a second," Tony told the brand new couple, then looked out to address the crowd. "A lot of you know that if it were not for a certain person, we would not be here today. And that person... is me."

Steve sighed a long-suffering sigh, and Darcy nudged him with her hip. Her look was trying to assure him that this would all be over soon, so he sighed again, resignedly, and looked back up at the stage.

"Steve and Darcy are together today not just because they met at _my_ party that _I_ insisted they both attend, but because they _danced_ at that party. And they would not have danced if it had not been for a certain person. That was also me."

Darcy shifted her feet and looked around. Natasha had promised to make sure that Tony would not get the opportunity to make their day all about him, but she was nowhere to be seen. Darcy hoped she was off on a secret mission to thwart evil, because her mission to thwart Stark had failed.

"Now, I've been accused many times of being... I think it's been cleverly phrased as, 'a cheating cheater who cheats.' I believe in leveling the playing field as much as the next guy, but I am being completely honest with all of you," he paused to enjoy the laughs of the guests, "when I tell you that I had no idea that these two were Soulmates. No hidden cameras, no eavesdropping equipment, nothing. I just didn't want Miss Lewis—ah, it's Mrs. Rogers now, of course—to get bored or be lonely while her friend," he gestured at Jane, "was on the other side of the world. There's nothing worse than knowing a totally awesome party is going on upstairs while you're alone in your apartment downstairs."

Steve rolled his eyes and lifted a hand from Darcy's waist to give Tony a wave: _wrap it up_.

Tony cleared his throat and nodded at Steve. "So there we all were: me, enjoying myself, Darcy, not enjoying herself, and Steve, trying to check out Darcy pretty much any time that he thought nobody was watching." This earned another laugh from the guests, and one from Darcy. "You're not as sneaky as you think you are, Cap, because I noticed. And Natasha noticed. And Thor noticed. I think even Bruce noticed." Laughter rippled through the room again.

"But the only one to take the initiative was yours truly. And it wasn't because I had any inside information, or because I knew in my heart that they were meant to be. I just wanted them to be happy. Both of them."

Tony looked down at Steve and Darcy. He was pleased to see that Steve looked less annoyed, and in fact was grudgingly smiling at him.

Addressing the crowd again, Tony continued. "And so they danced. And it was during that dance that they spoke to one another for the first time. I'm told it was very romantic."

Darcy tugged on Steve's neck to pull his attention back to her, and he smiled down at her.

Up on the stage, Tony was winding down. "That brings us to today. They're here, we're here, and everybody's happy." The guests laughed again.

Tony paused, as if trying to decide how to end. "It's hard to articulate how happy I am for them. I'm pretty sure that I'm almost as happy for them as they are to have each other." He raised a glass, and the rest of the room followed, with a sprinkle of applause. "Congratulations, you two. And _you're welcome_. Now, dance."

 _People fall in love in mysterious ways  
_ _Maybe it's all part of a plan  
_ _Me, I fall in love with you every single day  
_ _And I just wanna tell you I am_

* * *

 **Author's Note (February 14th, 2016):** Happy whatever whatever! I hope you enjoyed this adorable headcanon that I have turned into ficcanon. (That's A Thing, right? FicCanon? If it's not A Thing, I'm making it A Thing.) Go read more awesome fics in the Silly Words for the Silly Soul(mate fic) Series on ao3, or check out the behind the scenes whatever whatever on my fic blog, iwillwriteyourfic DOT blogspot DOT com.


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